The present invention relates to holsters for firearms, and in particular, to a holster security device comprising a lock and key mechanism adaptable to existing as well as new holsters to provide personal security and safety.
Firearms are presently widely-available, especially in most developed countries, and in particular, among civilians as well as law enforcement agents and military and security personnel. Being so widespread, firearms represent a serious threat to public safety and a danger to children and minors from unauthorized use or accidental discharge.
A common way to prevent unauthorized use or accidental firing of a firearm is to remove an essential operative component, such as the magazine of a pistol, and to keep such a component apart from the firearm itself. However, in such a case, the firearm is not ready for use should a need suddenly arise; moreover, the separated component may get lost or misplaced. This can lead to incurring the cost of replacing the lost or misplaced part or, in some instances, having to replace the entire firearm.
Another known security means for disabling a firearm from firing a cartridge is an add-on locking device mounted on the trigger guard to prevent access to the trigger, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,840 to Mickel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,578 to Kay, a standard lock and key is used in a bore-hole in the trigger assembly. The same standard lock can be mounted as part of a holster to prevent inadvertent firing and removal of the firearm.
In the latter two cases, however, in order to enable the firearm for use, the add-on device or lock must be physically removed and placed at a suitable location for ready re-use whenever necessary, which is not only time-consuming and inconvenient, but may also result in the misplacement or loss of the removed device or lock. Also, boring holes in and around the trigger assembly is required. Even for the holster embodiment of the lock mechanism, modification to the trigger assembly is required to accommodate the security device.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,987,796 and 5,974,717 to Brooks refer to safety mechanisms fitted in the magazines of firearms, which have the disadvantage of having to modify existing firearms, a practice not always desirable or possible for all varieties of firearms and inexpensive to do.
Other techniques for disabling a firearm known to the art include the insertion of an insert into a firearm""s firing chamber or magazine chamber which insert must be withdrawn to enable the firearm to be used. However, an insert into the firing chamber may damage the rifling of the firing chamber. Moreover, such inserts must be separately stored and/or carried by the user, which is not always convenient, and which can also result in the loss or misplacement of the insert.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,671,560 and 5,581,927 to Meller, a spring-operated security device is fitted into the handle of the firearm as an integral part thereof and a key which may easily and conveniently be kept with others normally found on a person, enables or disables firing of the firearm. This construction tends to increase the production cost of the firearm.
In regard to holsters, U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,798 to Perkins features a safety strap for holsters using a fastener ring fastener on the inside surface of the holster for securing the end of the safety strap. However, it does not lock securely or prevent unauthorized withdrawal of the firearm from the holster.
In U.S. Pat. No. No. 5,199,620 to Beletsky, there is described a thumbreak-type holster in which a fastener is mounted on the safety strap of the holster, which can be mated with a securing device on the holster body, to define unlocked and locked positions of the safety strap. An improvement to this design is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,951 to Beletsky et al., where a supplementary latching device such as a sleeve can be slid over the thumbreak, preventing would-be assailants from accessing the thumbreak and removing the firearm. The extra latching device makes quick firearm withdrawal more difficult for the user as well.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a security device for a firearm which does not require potentially damaging modifications to the firearm, nor increase its production costs. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide a convenient, efficient, self-contained, and secure system of locking that cannot be easily defeated or neutralized by unauthorized persons.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a security device easily attached to existing holsters which is operated by a key to lock or release a fastener mounted on the safety strap of the holster, thus locking or releasing a firearm from its holster.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a security device for a firearm having advantages over prior art security devices, as the holster itself serves as a convenient safety pouch for a firearm which, when locked therein, denies access to unauthorized users. and prevents accidental firing of the firearm.
Another object of the invention is to provide a security device which can be used and easily integrated with existing holsters accommodating many different types of firearms, particularly, but not exclusively, handguns such as pistols and revolvers.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a security device that can be used with existing firearms without causing removal of essential parts, placement of add-ons, or making any potentially damaging modifications thereto.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a holster security device comprising a security device for receiving a suitable, removable key which operates a typical cylinder lock; a flat, latch hook for engaging and securely holding a fastener mounted on a holster safety strap; a finger-tab, for operating the latch hook, which extends from the retaining ring of the cylinder lock and protrudes in such a manner as to be convenient to the user, but mostly inaccessible or unseen by others. The finger tab is movable to a stop position and optionally, the retaining ring with the latch hook and finger-tab can be locked by a key.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tongue of the holster safety strap is drawn over the rearward portion of a firearm by the insertion motion of the male fastener into a hole provided in the flange of the security device to mate with a female fastener through the flange hole. An end cap seats and houses the cylinder lock retaining ring and allows it to be partially rotated to a stop position provided by a small raised ball-stop on the inside surface of the end cap which engages a matching stop-hole provided in the cylinder lock retaining ring. This ball-stop and stop-hole arrangement provides a low-level of positive locking since the retaining ring and end cap are in surface-to-surface contact and firmly held together in the safety device. The slight physical contact of the ball-stop and stop-hole provides touch-sensitive feedback to indicate to the wearer of the holster when the ring is in a position such that the latch hook is engaged and ready to be locked using the cylinder lock and key.
When the holster safety strap is closed and fastened with the fastener, and the latch hook has been engaged with the fastener in the safety device, yet another level of security is provided to the holster since the firearm cannot be removed unless the latch hook is freed from the strap by the operation of the finger-tab. If, optionally, the cylinder lock and key are not used, the latch hook still provides a high degree of protection for the firearm, while allowing it to be quickly removed by the wearer by a simple motion of a finger on the finger tab which rotates the retaining ring and releases the latch hook from the holster safety strap fastener allowing the strap to be opened and the firearm to be immediately drawn.
The depth of the security device when assembled on its mounting flange is substantially shorter than the transverse dimension of the flange, thereby advantageously providing a relatively flat, compact construction which does not add bulk or much weight to the holster.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a convenient and inexpensive security device adaptable to existing as well as new holsters for a variety of firearms, without necessitating the removal of any essential operating part of the firearm, the adding-on of removable locks or other safety devices, or requiring any potentially damaging modification to the firearm itself. The invention is based on the advantageous and convenient use of a key and lock system, and does not require expensive or potentially dangerous modifications to a firearm.
Optionally, the holster locking safety device can be operated without locking with a key, yet maintain a higher degree of security against stealthy or unauthorized withdrawal of a firearm than that provided by existing firearm safety devices and commonly used holster safety straps. This is achieved, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, by provision of a latch hook which engages a fastener mounted on a holster strap and is released only with the mechanical operation of a finger-operated tab conveniently mounted on the holster itself. This feature is relatively inexpensive to produce and permits time-saving removal of the firearm by the wearer of the holster in those situations requiring it, while maintaining security of the firearm within its holster.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following drawings and description.